Currency of the Kingdom: The currency of Kingdom is the Saudi Riyal which is gold-plated, convertible and divided into Halalas.
It has the following denominations; paper notes : one Riyal, five, ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred Riyals, two-hundred and five-hundred Riyals; Coins : one Riyal, fifty, twenty five, ten and five Halalas.
The exchange rate is 3. S dollar. Measures and Weights: The metric system is generally used in Saudi Arabia for measures and the Kilogram for weights. The Hijri year has days divided into 12 lunar months. Official Holidays: The official holidays in the Kingdom are as follows :.
Eid Al Fatr : From 25th of Ramadan to 5th of Shawal for a duration of 10 days extending up to two weeks if it starts before weekend holiday. All government institutions and departments are closed during these holidays.
Symbols Used in this Book: - Not existent. Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab and Muhammad bin Saud formed an agreement to dedicate themselves to restoring the pure teachings of Islam to the Muslim community. In that spirit, bin Saud established the First Saudi State, which prospered under the spiritual guidance of bin Abdul Wahhab, known simply as the Shaikh. By , the Saudi State ruled over the entire central plateau known as the Najd.
By the early 19th century, its rule extended to most of the Arabian Peninsula, including Makkah and Madinah. The popularity and success of the Al-Saud rulers aroused the suspicion of the Ottoman Empire, the dominant power in the Middle East and North Africa at the time.
In , the Ottomans dispatched a large expeditionary force armed with modern artillery to the western region of Arabia.
The Ottoman army besieged Diriyah, which by now had grown into one of the largest cities in the peninsula. Ottoman forces leveled the city with field guns and made it permanently uninhabitable by ruining the wells and uprooting date palms. By , the Al-Saud family had regained political control of central Arabia.
During his year rule, Turki succeeded in retaking most of the lands lost to the Ottomans. As he expanded his rule, he took steps to ensure that his people enjoyed rights, and he saw to their well-being. Under Turki and his son, Faisal, the Second Saudi State enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity, and trade and agriculture flourished.
The calm was shattered in by a renewed Ottoman campaign to extend its Middle Eastern empire into the Arabian Peninsula. Faced with a much larger and better equipped army, Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al-Saud was forced to abandon his struggle in With him was his young son Abdulaziz, who was already making his mark as a natural leader and a fierce warrior for the cause of Islam.
The young Abdulaziz was determined to regain his patrimony from the Al-Rashid family, which had taken over Riyadh and established a governor and garrison there. In , Abdulaziz, — accompanied by only 40 followers — staged a daring night march into Riyadh to retake the city garrison, known as the Masmak Fortress. This legendary event marks the beginning of the formation of the modern Saudi state. After establishing Riyadh as his headquarters, Abdulaziz captured all of the Hijaz, including Makkah and Madinah, in to In the process, he united warring tribes into one nation.
The legendary King Abdulaziz was a remarkable leader of imagination and vision who set Saudi Arabia on the road to modernization. He established roads and basic communications systems, introduced modern technology, and improved education, health care and agriculture. Although King Abdulaziz never traveled beyond the Arab world, he was a highly sophisticated statesman. Foreign leaders and diplomats who met with him came away impressed by his integrity and honesty. He was famous for dispensing with diplomatic niceties in favor of frank and candid discussion.
The MDGs are part and parcel of the goals of this strategic path. Saudi Arabia is witnessing tangible economic prosperity and progress in all domains of socio-economic development, which produced substantial improvement in all human development indicators such as standard of living, health and education services, environmental conditions as well as potentials of comprehensive development.
Over the period , the national economy achieved an average annual growth rate of 3. Moreover, diversification of the economic base increased, with the share of non-oil sectors constituting some Concerning foreign trade structure, the non-oil merchandise exports share in total exports increased from around 8.
On the other hand, the share of imports of consumer goods in total imports has declined, which is an indicator of increased reliance on domestic products and their improved competitiveness.
Other clubs offer Saudis the opportunity to develop various artistic talents. The Department of Culture regularly sponsors exhibitions, literary readings and symposia at its regional offices as well as its Riyadh headquarters. It also sponsors Saudis to participate in international art and cultural events, including poetry and essay competitions as well as exhibits of calligraphy and artwork. The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts, founded in , sponsors Saudi artists and provides ways for new talents to develop and display their art.
Other institutions that promote culture include the King Fahd Library in Riyadh, which offers one of the largest collections of rare manuscripts on Arabic and Islamic literature, and is a premier research facility in the Middle East; and the King Faisal Foundation, whose annual King Faisal International Prizes includes one for Arabic literature. Many King Faisal Prize laureates have gone on to receive other international awards, including the Nobel Prize. The Department of Museums and Antiquities was established in There are also private museums, such as the Humane Heritage Museum in Jeddah.
Dance is also popular among Saudis. Men carrying swords stand in two lines or a circle, with a poet singing in their midst, and perform the traditional dance. Poetry is especially important to Arab cultural life, and has long been considered one of the highest expressions of literary art.
In the days when the Bedouin were constantly traveling, poetry was primarily an oral tradition. People would gather around a storyteller, who would spin tales of love, bravery, chivalry, war and historic events. This was both entertainment and an oral preservation of history, traditions and social values. It exemplifies the perfect use of the Arabic language, and is considered to be the ultimate literary model.
Poetry remains popular among Saudis today. They gather at cultural events, most notably the Jenadriyah National Culture and Heritage Festival, and avidly read the works of established poets that are printed in Saudi Arabia every year. There is also a popular televised poetry competition. For two weeks a year, the festival gives over a million Saudis a glimpse into the past. Opening with a traditional camel race, the festival includes almost every aspect of Saudi culture.
Artisans, such as potters, woodworkers and weavers, demonstrate their traditional crafts in small shops with typical palm-frond-roofed porches. Visitors can also stroll through the past in a heritage village, wahich resides permanently in Jenadriyah. At these exhibits one may watch a metalsmith fashion a traditional brass and copper coffee pot. A wood carver slowly transforms a piece of wood into a saddle frame. Basket makers weave palm fronds and straw into hats, baskets and containers decorated with colorful designs.
A potter using a foot-powered wheel shapes clay into bowls and water jars.
0コメント